u.s. officials are now planning a more limited role for u.s. forces going forward. u.s. officials are not planning to lead the mission in libya much longer. >> we expected in a matter of days to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others. >> reporter: following a weekend of missile strikes and air patrols, defense secretary robert gates said the pentagon will soon hand over the reins to either the french and british, or to nato. his comments came as american warships and planes pounded libya, taking out key radar and missile sites. outside moammar gadhafi's compound, government officials showed off what they claimed were pieces of a rocket. and evidence of a western attempt to remove the libyan leader from power. >> why is this rocket here? this is a very dangerous situation. >> reporter: u.s. officials insist it's still too early to say what the end game is. but they're already declaring success in their efforts to enforce the u.n.'s no-fly zone and protect the libyan people. >> we judge these strikes to have been very effective in significantly degrading